To say it rained cats and dogs this past weekend would be an understatement. But with the wild and windy weather behind us, the sunshine has actually had that hint of spring about it. Plenty of daffodils and crocuses are ready to burst upon the scene, as well, and I have been having a great time watching all of the robins come bob-bob-bobbing along.

I doubt there will be any cats this weekend, but there will be plenty of dogs up at Fairfield Hills when long-distance walker Luke Robinson and his two Great Pyrenees invite the community to join them on a special hike. To raising awareness about comparative oncology (a link between human and companion animal cancers), Mr Robinson and his dogs have been on the road since 2008. (See March 5 Newtown Bee article, “Man and Dogs vs Cancer.”) Anyone who has been touched by cancer in any way can join the walkers, beginning at 11 am. Turn into Fairfield Hills at the intersection of Trades Lane and Wasserman Way, take the first left, and look for dogs and walkers in the parking lot to the left. Additional parking is available in other nearby lots. Rumor has it Animal Planet will be on hand to film this portion of the walk. A meet and greet with a PowerPoint presentation by Mr Robinson will take place at 2 pm at the C.H. Booth Library. Come one, come all. I guess I better fluff my fur before I go. You can find out all about the long walk from Texas that will end in Boston this June at 2dogs2000miles.org.

Just in time for the first full day of spring, Beacon Hill Church, just over the town line in Monroe, is inviting families to join them for an event they’re calling “Easter Egg-Stravaganza: Family, Faith & Fun.” Children from preschool age to grade 8 and their parents are invited to the church at 371 Old Zoar Road from 4 to 6 pm Sunday afternoon for an egg hunt, crafts, music, stories, snacks and more fun. While admission is officially free, the one thing the church is asking for is donations for Monroe Food Pantry, which can either be a food/household item or financial donation. Call 203-268-8521 if you have any questions.

Renee Baade tells me Talking Post Office Blues, a CD recorded by Hawleyville resident Tom Dwyer, raised $290 on opening day of the Hawleyville Post Office. A member of the Save Hawleyville Post Office Committee, Renee was at the new PO Monday morning dishing out cake and selling the CD recorded by a fellow Save Hawleyville Post Office member. Inspired by the long ordeal involving the Route 25 post office and the spirit of the community that rallied to save it, Mr Dwyer, a guitarist with the band Front Porch, wrote the ballad last year and recorded it this winter. All proceeds from the sales of the CD are to benefit Kevin’s Community Center’s primary preventative care programs. While Renee sold out of the CDs she had in stock on Monday, you can still pick up a copy of the four-minute song at Hawleyville Wine & Liquor or Uncle Al’s Pizza, both located at 23 Barnabas Road, for a minimum $5 donation.

As she promised earlier this year, C.H. Booth Library curator Mary Thomas has begun displaying the collection of wonderful antique clothing she discovered in the attic there last summer. Stop by the second floor (near the young adult section) to see a lovely blue silk gown crafted for the mother of Mrs Grace Glover in 1850. The gown was worn to the Newtown bicentennial ball, and was one of the gowns featured in a 1930s library fundraiser fashion show. This delicate dress will only be exhibited for a couple of weeks, says Mary. She hopes to have another treasure ready for display in the near future.

Winter is turning into spring, but Jim Degen of Lost Loon Wood Works in Brookfield is “turning” year around — wood, that is. Learn about the art of woodturning this coming Sunday, March 21, when Jim demonstrates the art at the Matthew Curtiss House on Main Street, between noon and 4 pm. The program is free, and I think you’ll find it more than a “whittle” interesting.

Do you like to bake? The Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown (SNAN) is getting ready for its annual bake sale at Lexington Gardens and members are hoping that Newtown residents will again be generous not only on the day of the sale (Saturday, March 27, if you’d like to mark your calendar) but also with baked goods for the sale itself. Homemade cakes, pies, jellies and jams, breads, and cookies (for humans and canines) are all welcome. Give Penny Meek (203-263-1933) or Marion Thompson (203-426-0253) a call if you’d like to help SNAN. Don’t let it be said that I don’t support ZPG for felines….

This might be a good time of year to visit the Health District page for the Town of Newtown, where you can find a link to lots of useful information about ticks and tick-borne diseases. The longer days and warmer weather tempt everyone outdoors, and that’s where it’s easiest to pick up those nasty pests. Make sure you protect your four-footed friends from ticks, too. We can get a lot of the same tick illnesses that people do.

It is also a good time of year to start driving with a bit more caution, looking out for sleepy skunks, ‘possums, and other animals beginning to mill about. If you had been nodding off all winter, you might have forgotten how important it is to look both ways before crossing the street… And remember, too, that baby animals you come across in the woods this spring are most likely not abandoned by the mother. She’s somewhere nearby, watching you. Don’t disturb the baby, and she will return to care for it.

The pleasant weather has had me out and about, and I have to say I am dismayed at the amount of trash that piled up on the roadsides over the winter. I’m not waiting for an organized cleanup day on my street or for Earth Day to see that the garbage gets picked up, though. I’m stretching some gloves over all four paws and getting a head start on trashing the trash ASAP. No one wants the beauty of the spring landscape marred by beer cans, soda containers, and lunch bags littering the ditches.

I’m off to pick up more news for next week, when I hope you will make time to… Read me again.